A second-year student in the Classical Studies Ph.D. program, Ethan Drake Johnson is a historian of philosophy and of ideas interested in ancient ecological, cosmological, and utopian thought in Greece and India. They also maintain a more general interest in the philosophy of food, political philosophy, and the history and philosophy of science. They hold two bachelor's degrees—one in philosophy and one in history—from Utah Valley University.
During their undergraduate degree, Ethan pursued a research project concerned with the intersection of sovereignty and the human-animal difference in Ancient Greek, Ancient Indian, and Central African thought. A portion of this project has resulted in a publication on people-eating kings in Archaic Greek and Vedic Indian political thought appearing in Arethusa.
In the future, Ethan would like to work more on the sun in ancient science and philosophy, both as a literal object in the sky and as a metaphorical trope undergirding certain central concepts in the histories of western and Indian philosophy. At some point, they wish to write a book providing a cultural and intellectual history of the sun. An enthusiastic teacher, Ethan has experience as a TA for courses on the history of ethical thought, and they also have experience developing teaching and tutoring curriculum as a Writing Center administrator at their alma mater.
At Columbia, Ethan is very excited to study in an interdisciplinary program of ancient cultures across the ancient Mediterranean, and they are looking forward to continuing their training in the history of philosophy, and the history of ancient thought and culture more generally. Outside of the academy, they love cooking, camping, traveling, dumpster-diving, doting on their cat, and playing music with their partner.